Raptors Republic

Bargnani on Messina, Italy and being a soldier

Andrea Bargnani spoke with Italian channel Sky Sport 24 a day or so ago. The interview was translated by caustic. Thanks, cheque’s in the mail.

“This year the National Team group outside the court was really extraordinary, believe it or not, it was very united and very well integrated”.

“On the court: everybody has seen the games, and those who know basketball have easily seen that there are very critical problems. When a team doesn’t have a line (strategy) to execute, it is really easy to become sloppy, as we say, and to lose cohesiveness in front of troubles. That’s what happened to us, we’ve never been on the same wavelength on the court.

“From a certain point of view, I have to get better, because I grew up with Ettore Messina, so I’ve always been used to do what the coach told me, to operate as a machine, it is not like I was afraid of something, to decide or anything, it was only that I did what he told me to do, like a soldier. I’m not the kind of player who goes to a team-mate and shouts at him ‘pass me the ball’, or ‘I have to take more shots’. Over there (in the NBA) I do that a little more, over here I don’t know why I don’t do it, so this is definitely a facet that I have to improve: if I don’t have someone behind me, such as a coach, who has a strong presence, then I’m certainly a little lost. Is the answer clear, or not?”